“Even Mahadev Not Spared”; PM Modi On Bhupesh Baghel’s Betting Row
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently set out a verbal attack on the Congress party connecting the Mahadev betting app row, in which, according to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Congress leader and incumbent Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel received money from the people associated with Mahadev betting app. The PM was addressing a rally in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Saturday and said that the Congress hadn’t even spared ‘Mahadev’, a name for Hindu Lord Shiva. He also accused Congress for using illegal hawala money from betting app operators to meet the election expenses. Chhattisgarh will be going to the poll booths on November 7 and 17 for the upcoming assembly elections, and counting is scheduled for December 3.
Narendra Modi was speaking in Chhattisgarh, a day after the ED claimed that Mr Baghel received a sum of Rs 508 crores from the Mahadev betting app based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to ED, a law enforcement and economic intelligence agency under the Union Ministry of Finance, the Chhattisgarh chief minister obtained bribe from Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, both promoters of the Mahadev app. The agency cited an ongoing investigation under the anti-money laundering law and reportedly indicated a substantial movement of cash in the poll-pound Chhattisgarh.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) do only what they propagates, the PM asserted while engaging with the public on Saturday. He also guaranteed growth and progress to Chhattisgarh and said that Congress party”s “jhooth ka pulinda” (bundle of lies) is standing before BJP”s “sankalp patra”. “The Congress party”s priority is to fill its coffers through corruption,” he added.
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The Prime Minister criticised the Congress led government in Chhattisgarh as they are not eliminating the least chances for looting the public and fixed their priority only in filling their coffers through corruption. He further blamed that Congress did not even leave the name of ‘Mahadev’. Mahadev is the alternate name for Hindu god Shiva. “Congress leaders are filling their houses with this looted money. You can see in media reports to whom its links go back to. The state government and the Chief Minister should tell the people of Chhattisgarh what links they have with the people sitting in Dubai who are accused of this scam. After the money was seized, Baghel is baffled and has come to the ground,” the Prime Minister added.
The ED has also conducted raids in the state tracing the scam and money laundering links connected to Mr Baghel. According to the agency, it had successfully intercepted a cash courier identified as Asim Das, who had allegedly been sent from the UAE. They had seized an amount of Rs 5.39 crores from Mr Das, who confessed that funds were arranged by the promoters of the Mahadev betting app for Mr Baghel, supporting the election expenses. Mr Das also revealed that the app made regular payments in the past also to Mr Baghel, and it sums approximately Rs 508 crore.
To the allegations, Mr Baghel replied that they are mere “malicious attempts” by the BJP to destroy his name and frame ahead of the polls. “This is a political attempt to defame the popular Congress government which is being done through ED”, he said on X.
जैसा कि मैंने पहले कहा है कि भारतीय जनता पार्टी ईडी, आईटी, डीआरआई और सीबीआई जैसी एजेंसियों के सहारे छत्तीसगढ़ का चुनाव लड़ना चाहती है. चुनाव के ठीक पहले ईडी ने मेरी छवि धूमिल करने की सबसे कुत्सित प्रयास किया है. यह कांग्रेस की लोकप्रिय सरकार को बदनाम करने का राजनीतिक प्रयास है जो…
— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) November 3, 2023
